Someone to Love by Donna Alward

Am I the only one who gets confused by series titles that are incredibly similar? The book before Someone to Love is Somebody Like You. I can't keep them straight. It really doesn't matter though, as the minute I finished the first, I requested the second, and read it the next day.

Here's the summary, from Amazon:

SOME WISHES DO COME TRUE

Ethan Gallagher is a firefighter in Darling, Vermont, who followed tradition and pledged his love on the Kissing Bridge to ensure lifelong happiness. A few years later, he’s a widower with two rambunctious boys who no longer believes in magic. But even he has to admit that free-spirited Willow Dunaway fills him with wonder…and an attraction he cannot deny.

Willow’s come back to Darling a different girl than the one who left after high school. Overcoming her past and owning her own business has made her into a strong, independent woman. Single dad Ethan appeals to her in a way she didn’t expect, even though settling down is the last thing on her mind. But after fire destroys the local food bank, the town rallies, and a fling between Ethan and Willow leads to unintended consequences. Can they find a way out of their heartbreak to make a home in each other’s hearts?


"Unintended consequences" sounds like so much drama! Phrases like this pop up in summaries all the time and then when you read the book you think "well that's putting it too strongly, no?" but in this case, it's accurate. This is one of those books (and authors) who you know what to expect. You have an idea of the level of drama/scandal/real issues. I wasn't expecting this one to take the turn it did. That said, I'm all for variety, and even tho it directly touches on a touchy (and political) subject, I felt it was well done and handled with respect and empathy. I expect there are people who will hate it. (Sorry to be vague, but it's a pretty big spoiler.)

Willow has come back to Darling after time away. She's been through a lot and she's found inner peace. She's pretty stereotypical on the surface, with her yoga and meditation and organic food, but she has to work to maintain the zen. She's the best explanation of yoga practice that I've heard. She's prone to working too hard and taking on too much, but she's rarely annoying or in your face with it. Ethan is a grumpy jerk. His wife died a couple years ago and he's struggling as much now as ever. His grief has dissipated but he's not sure who he is without his wife or the constant grief. He's ready to move on and feels out of place. He takes this out on Willow, at first, because she's so settled and calm. I love seeing him overcome that inclination to lash out.  That said, he's not perfect and not even perfect in his imperfectness, if you follow.

Their romance is fairly slow, even if the attraction is sudden. It felt natural, but never easy. Willow and Ethan both have reasons to resist and they do. I'm not certain that  the resolution is one that people will love, but I felt it was handled very realistically, as opposed to in a fairy tale (Ethan is not the brother to rescue Willow when the crisis finally happens and he's not suddenly by her side as a white knight.) I was happy with the resolution and the resulting happily ever after, even if I was surprised by the route it took.  I'm very happy that I have the next book waiting on my Kindle.

Someone to Love is out today, March 7th.

Somebody Like You: A Darling, VT Novel by Donna Alward

I've been a Donna Alward fan for a while now, but when I saw the plot summary of the first book in her new series, Somebody Like You, I hesitated. Plots like this never work, but I took a chance and I wasn't disappointed.

Here's the summary, from Amazon:

A kiss to last a lifetime

Aiden Gallagher was only five years old when he appeared in a photograph on the Kissing Bridge. The town of Darling, Vermont, has used Aiden’s image on the famed bridge―local legend has it that a kiss there results in everlasting love―as part of its tourism campaign. Now, twenty years later, Aiden is asked to recreate the moment with the woman he once kissed: Laurel Stone.

Recently divorced, there’s nothing Laurel wants less than to pretend happily-ever-after with Aiden. As teenagers, their romance was no fairy tale―and Laurel has never quite forgiven Aiden for breaking her heart. But now that she is back in her hometown, and keeps bumping into police officer Aiden, Laurel can’t deny that there’s still a strong flicker between her and her old flame. Could it be that the Kissing Bridge is working its magic on Laurel and Aiden―and that all true love ever needed was a second chance?

See? Cheesy, right? I mean come on, how is that even logical unless they grew up to be a couple? Of course Laurel refuses and who could blame her?

Laurel has recently come off a shocking divorce. Her faith in love and men and in her future are completely smashed. She's gone back home to heal and start over and is the subject of a good bit of gossip. She's prickly and hurt and yet still can't put herself first. She's so conscious of appearances and of never hurting another person that she puts herself in situations that destroy her. She has a history with Aiden, and not just the kiss on the bridge as children. She knows people are talking, plus she's mad about how that ended. And honestly, she's justified in all of it.

Aiden tho, he's the best. He screwed up in high school, but he admits it, and boy did he grow up nice. He's a small town cop with the desire to really help people. He's smart and caring and a bit of a prankster with his brother, and he really really loves Laurel. He clearly always has.

There's a little bit of outside drama here, enough to make the plot interesting, but the main conflict is within Laurel herself. Aiden never questions what he feels, even though he's outright terrified. The scene at the end is so adorable (and unrealistic) and if I weren't already half in love with him, this would have done it for me. This isn't perfect, but it's sweet and romantic and before I even turned off my Kindle I was back at NetGalley requesting the next in the series. The book as a whole won't go down in my top ten of all time, but Aiden's emotion in the final scenes will, and I suspect I'll go back to reread that part more than once.

Christmas at Evergreen Inn by Donna Alward

Ok, so I thought I was getting a jump on things by reading Christmas at Evergreen Inn this weekend. I mean, it's a Christmas book, it won't be out until this month at least, right? Nope. Came out October 13th. Whoops. Hey, it's still before Christmas, right?

Here's the summary, from NetGalley:

Welcome back to Jewell Cove, where this holiday season, there happens to be no room at the inn...

When a December Nor'easter roars up the eastern seaboard, Jewell Cove cop Todd Ricker spends his day off being a Good Samaritan to stranded holiday travelers. But when the roads close and Todd can't make his way home, he discovers that the Evergreen Inn is full up. Until another Good Samaritan opens her doors and offers him a place to stay...

Lainey Price is not looking forward to Christmas, but just because she's not filled with the holiday spirit doesn't mean she's going to turn Todd out into the stormy night. Even if it means offering the handsome police officer the couch in her tiny cottage. But when the weather takes a turn for the worse, the two are snowed in for a wintry evening by the fire. With Christmas only a few days away, can Todd convince Lainey to open her heart to the season...and love?

It is probably not a good sign that I just read this over the weekend, and already forgot the characters' names. So let's start with them. First, Todd. Todd has no personality. I don't mean he's a "loser"- I mean he has NO personality. I JUST read this, and all I can remember is that a) he's a cop and b) he has the hots for Lainey and c) he shoveled the snow. That's it. He really didn't do anything at all to stand out in my mind. Now granted, this is a novella and there isn't a lot of time for character development, but I expected more than "he's single, she thinks he's a player, but he just never got around to asking her out."  Lainey has a bit more going for her. She has a little bit of a history, and some dread around the Christmas season. She has an interesting job (innkeeper) and a bit of family history. This doesn't mean I felt she was particularly well fleshed out either, but there were more facets to her than to Todd.

Then the romance. Guys, this book is basically one long makeout session. They make out, she resists because Reasons, they make out again. There was really no real conflict debate or outside anything. I know that I typically like the romance of a story more than the other details, but if nothing else this one has shown me how very necessary the other plot lines are to my enjoyment. Was this a bad book? No, not really, but it's very forgettable. Will I continue to read Alward? Yes, of course,  I very much enjoy her full length novels.

Summer on Lovers' Island by Donna Alward

Last week was a very long and tiring week. Work was super busy and Mike was gone a lot of evenings and I ran non-stop for days. Thursday night at bedtime I took the boys to bed and as I was sitting in their room waiting for them to settle I started reading Summer on Lovers' Island. I had absolutely no intention of sitting in that chair until I finished it, but that is totally what happened. Then I had to restrain myself from texting Katherine at midnight to see if she'd read it. It was that good.

Here's your summary:

What happens when a seasonal fling turns into the love of a lifetime? 

Lizzie Howard's life has always been adrenaline-charged. Top of her class at Harvard Med and now a gifted trauma doctor, Lizzie's medical career has always come before rest, relaxation, and especially romance. But when one careless mistake brings her future to a screeching halt, Lizzie's only chance at reviving it is to temporarily take over a friend's practice in Jewell Cove. 

The sleepy Maine coast, a world away from the bustling emergency room Lizzie knows and loves, leaves her feeling more lost than ever--until she meets widowed doctor Joshua Collins, and her heart starts beating a little bit faster...

Summer on Lovers' Island is the fourth book in the Jewell Cove series and I'll admit it took me a few minutes to remember who the other characters were - which town is this? Lucky Harbor? No? By the third chapter or so I had a firm grasp on where I was again, and it wasn't  an issue. It probably isn't really an issue to anyone, I just like to know my landmarks.  It's true that it would be helpful to read The House on Blackberry Hill first to hear the other side of Josh's back story, but this one fills in it well enough.

Josh and Lizzie are both trying hard to live up to what they think everyone else expects of them. Lizzie believes that the world thinks she has to be amazing, because her dad was and she's struggling with giving that image up. Josh feels like he has to be the town golden boy and present the world with the facade that he mourns his wife, when really he is ready to move on.  He struggles with not feeling good enough for love, even as the whole world loves him.  They attempt a reasonable summer fling but quickly come to realize that their rules aren't working.

Was the romance itself believable? If you could believe, as I did, that Josh and Lizzie really see each other clearly, then it was completely acceptable that they would fall in love. It happens over the course of a summer, which is much more realistic than some romances. There's a scene near the end where a misunderstanding causes Josh and Lizzie to have a fight, and unlike some big misunderstandings, the emotion and the confusion are heartbreakingly real. I didn't feel like rolling my eyes and calling them idiots at all.

Jewell Cove is your typical small town, in a small town contemporary romance. Everyone knows everyone, there are two places to eat, and if you want to go on a date you have to leave town or everyone knows.  Everyone is related somehow.  This is a true comfort read to me, and the longer I'm in Jewell Cove the more I like it.  (I especially appreciate that while everyone knows everyone and it's constantly considered a small town there isn't a special forces training camp and a special burn unit hospital and a all-star football team and if you know this town you may also read small town contemp romances.) I'm really not sure who Alward can write about next, but I am certain I'll be reading it.

The Cowboy's Valentine by Donna Alward

As I sat down to write my review of The Cowboy's Valentine by Donna Alward, I found myself going back to reread my review of Her Rancher Rescuer, which was the first Alward I read. It seemed, in my head, that these two books had a lot of similarities, even tho the plots were very different. When I read my review tho, I realized that they really had nothing in common, except that they FEEL the same. Both sets of characters deal with real issues in a grownup way. (And they are both on a ranch.)

So what's The Cowboy's Valentine about?
Coming home is hard enough without ranch manager Quinn Solomon making Lacey Duggan feel like an unwanted guest. She's only here until she figures out what to do with her one-third ownership of Crooked Valley. But Quinn's irresistible daughter is giving Lacey ideas about being part of a family. And though they don't even like each other, Lacey's having crazier notions about the widowed single dad. 

Does Lacey think she can waltz in and turn Quinn's life upside down…only to leave again? The pretty accountant knows nothing about running a ranch, yet she's making the Montana homestead feel like a home. Quinn isn't looking for love again. Until a woman who's all heart and a determined little girl help one lovestruck cowboy see the light.

Lacey has recently returned to the ranch that she now owns 1/3 of with her brothers. She's lost her husband, her job and her home, and she's slightly mortified to be coming home to a ranch she doesn't even want. She's planning to lick her wounds for a few days, spruce up her resume, and get back to her life. She's not counting on sharing the house with Quinn, the ranch manager. Quinn has his own struggles, he's the single father to a 4 year old girl and he's desperately trying to keep their live as stable and predictable as possible.  He had a great relationship with his dead wife (while she was alive!) and is reluctant to let that go. He and Lacey spar constantly, and fight their obvious attraction.

Of course, this being a romance novel, things eventually explode in a very realistic way. The two are unable to keep their hands off each other, but like adults sit down to talk out what should happen next. Surprisingly, Quinn is starting to realize that while he misses Maria, and he does mourn her, it's more of a comfortable habit than a deep pain. He's shocked to discover that he doesn't have to mourn her, he can choose to fall in love with another woman. Unfortunately for him, Lacey feels that her secret, and the reason for the end of her marriage, is too great a burden to share with Quinn and attempts to walk away. Outwardly she insists that she's trying to save Quinn from heartache, but Quinn is able to recognize that she's scared inside. And here's where the story gets great, Quinn doesn't storm off or write her off. He backs off a bit and waits. Wait what? That never happens in a romance novel! Usually the spurned half goes off to lick wounds and we need a big grovel scene to make up for it.  That doesn't happen at all here. The reader still gets a satisfying resolution/ reunion but no one's pride gets injured. I admit it, I cried.

Alward's Harlequins have a way of tackling serious, believable issues in a adult way. I thought she handled Lacey's emotions around her secret (sorry, spoilers) very well. I could clearly see why Lacey would feel like she did. I could really see how grief could become a habit. I really enjoy this aspect of her books.

Were there any problems with the book or was this perfect? Of course there were problems, but they were minor. There was the problem with Quinn's wedding ring, which is in the way until it's never mentioned again, and the last sentence of chapter 13 threw me so far out of the story that I had to stop reading in the middle of an emotional part.  It felt so out of character and out of place and such a stupid stereotype that that ONE sentence is the most memorable one in the entire book.  I also firmly believed that Quinn would react in a completely different way to Lacey's secret- a much much worse, but I think plausible, way. I was so happy that he didn't, because it would have changed my opinion of Quinn as a reasonable person. Final verdict, not 5 stars, but still very very close.

The Cowboy's Valentine was published on February 3rd.

Treasure on Lilac Lane by Donna Alward

I am having a very hard time figuring out just what type of book Donna Alward writes. As I mentioned in my last review, she's done category romance very well, then a slightly paranormal full length, then a non-paranormal light and breezy in the second book in the series. Treasure on Lilac Lane doesn't clear anything up! This is the third book in the Jewell Cove series and this one takes a turn for the (non-paranormal) serious side.


Here's your summary:
Sometimes the journey home is its own reward.

Once upon a time, Rick Sullivan had a promising future. One of Jewell Cove’s star athletes and reigning heartthrobs, he joined the Marines and had the world in the palm of his hand…until it all came crashing down.　 His honorable discharge doesn’t make him the hometown hero everyone wants him to be, and there’s little reprieve from the demons that haunt him at night. Still, even though it seems that all hope is gone, fate has something else in store…in Donna Alward's Treasure on Lilac Lane






Just hearing Rick’s name is enough to give Jess Collins a headache. Years ago, they’d been close. Now she barely knows the man Rick has become since his return from service…then again, Jess isn’t that same young, naïve girl anymore either.　And while there’s a powerful attraction between them—one that yields a greater passion than Jess could have ever imagined—both are wary about opening their hearts to love…and loss.　But happy endings don’t come easily when long-buried secrets insist on rising to the surface. Will their pasts tear them apart—or can love find a way to heal them both?


I was very excited to pick this one up. Rick was one of the most interesting characters in The House on Blackberry Hill and I couldn't wait to see how his romance would shape up. Rick has some pretty serious demons- his mom just died, he can't stop drinking, and he has a pretty serious case of PTSD. All of this make him a very interesting hero, and realistic. (I have mentioned before that I have a problem with it when a character has a flaw that is just on the surface, even when it should be something that is a real struggle. Rick is not like that.)

Jess is a lot harder to like initially. She's very prickly and seems to really have it out for Rick. She's over the top derisive towards him, for longer than seemed appropriate. Jess has a bad experience in her past that leads her to paint all drinkers with this extreme reaction, and I found that even with that it was a bit much. However, this would really be my only criticism of the book and I suppose that other readers won't have an issue with it. Jess works hard and has made herself into quite a success and she's ultimately a good match for Rick.

The romance in this one is very well done. They knew each other as kids, had a bit of a falling out, had more of a falling out when Rick shows up drunk everywhere, and then slowly build up from that. Watching them go from suspicious to friendship to falling in love is enjoyable and believable. They struggle with the ideas they have of each other, and with their own personal demons. There are a few moments of overboard reactions, but they are able to apologize and move on. If all Alwards were like this one I'd have no issue saying she was fast becoming a favorite. I'm hoping that this one is indicative of future books and she continues in this manner. I will definitely pick up her next offering, with the hopes of it being even stronger than this one.

Treasure on Lilac Lane was released on October 28th.

 

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The Texas Rodeo Barons, Books 1 & 2

Ok, so remember how much I loved that first Donna Alward that I read? That has led me to keeping an eye out for her new books on NetGalley and requesting any I find--- even if the title is "The Texan's Baby" and it has a hugely pregnant woman on the cover.  Normally, even the cowboy on the cover wouldn't make me overlook the pregnant woman but I made an exception. I finally sat down to read it a couple weeks ago, and discovered that Alward writes a really great Harlequin- she's 2 for 2 on the Harlequins for me now.  After reading this one and discovering it was first in the series, I went back to NetGalley to look for the rest. There are (going to be) six of them- all by different authors. The next three were already available so I snapped them up. Of the four I now have/have read THREE of them involve babies and children. So we'll see how that goes. 

Wow, that's possibly the longest intro paragraph I've ever written. And how were the books?

The Texan's Baby by Donna Alward was terrific. I'd give it a good four stars.  Lizzie and Chris end up expecting a baby after a one night stand at the rodeo. This is, of course, out of character for both of them.  I thought I'd really be put off by it, and honestly it wasn't nearly as annoying as I predicted. They both handle the situation as adults, with little or no drama about paternity or responsibility or money. This made the pregnancy a near non-issue and only a way to get them together quickly.  I enjoyed seeing them squirm through figuring out how to explain a pregnancy to their families when they weren't actually dating.  The big conflict comes about from their jobs, not the baby. It turns out that Lizzie is heading up her family's oil energy company and Chris works for a rival company.  Lizzie doesn't handle the conflict in this well, and I'm not 100% sure I like the way it's resolved- I felt Lizzie doesn't grovel enough or come through with enough legitimate reason to act the way she does.  Despite this, I felt like the romance was solid enough to keep me looking for Alward's books, and I immediately requested the next three in the series.

Second up was The Texan's Cowgirl Bride by Trish Milburn. This is the one book of the first four that does not include babies, but it does have a tragically dead wife to make up for it. Travis is a returning war hero turned PI (of course he's a returning war hero, aren't all the ones who aren't cowboys?) who finds himself falling for Savannah Baron (sister of Lizzie.)  The problem is that Savannah is experiencing a health scare and Travis has already lost one wife. Is he willing to fall in love again with someone who might also die on him?

This one wasn't as strong as The Texan's Baby. I liked each of them individually, but I didn't find the relationship to be as strong. It felt like it was much more about the surrounding details than about the couple themselves. Additionally, I felt like perhaps Savannah's health problems were drawn out a bit too long for sake of the story (I base this entirely on my imagination, perhaps it does take this long.)  Once again I enjoyed seeing the Barons, but did not feel as though all the siblings took over the story. Despite not loving it as much as the first story in the series, I'm looking forward to the next two (four) books.

The House on Blackberry Hill by Donna Alward

Fresh off my enjoyment of Her Rescuer Rancher, I stumbled across House on Blackberry Hill by Donna Alward on NetGalley.  This is Alward's first non-Harlequin and I was curious to see where she would go with it.

The Summary:
When a young woman inherits a rundown mansion, the last thing she expects to find is the key to her heart…

Abby Foster is a fish out of water in the Maine coastal town of Jewell Cove. The crumbling Foster estate, left to her by a relative she never even knew, has everyone’s eyes on her—an eerie reminder of the long-buried family secrets that have haunted her…forever. Single, stunning, and sometimes too strong-willed for her own good, Abby’s plan is to sell the house and hightail it back to Nova Scotia. But another part of her is intrigued by the idea of starting over somewhere new—and finally learning the truth about her heritage.

The House On Blackberry Hill

Enter Tom Arseneault. The best contractor in Jewell Cove, Tom is determined to restore the beauty and prestige of the Foster mansion—and maybe even work his charms on its beautiful new heir. The attraction between him and Abby is undeniable, and the more time Tom spends on the house the more he wants to be in it with her. But Abby’s not sure she can trust him—or anyone in Jewell Cove who seems to know more about her family history than she does. Home: Is it really where the heart is after all?

The Short Review:
I didn't love it, nor did I dislike it. Alward has a lot of potential in this market, but the book did have some flaws.

All the Deets:
First, the good. Jewell Cove (the series) has promise. I can see Alward becoming one of those authors who write small town series that I pick up for comfort (think Susan Mallery, Jill Shalvis, Nora Roberts).  Everything about the plot itself is fairy well done. I love the house, I like the town, I like the historical mystery. I didn't find the haunted aspect to be cheesily done, or completely unbelievable.  I enjoyed all of the secondary characters a great deal.

So what's the deal then? I didn't love the hero and heroine. Tom's backstory is well done. I understand him coming into the relationship with baggage, but it seems that it's written a bit to mislead you as to exactly what his problem is. Regardless of that, it unfolds slowly and evenly and is well paced.  Abby also has unhappiness and trust issues in her past, but I find it hard to relate to her and it seemed a bit unnecessary. Honestly, Abby comes off a bit bland and uninteresting.  It's really hard to see why Tom falls for her and the attraction is there on paper, but I didn't really feel it.

That said, this is Alward's first book for St. Martin's Press and I have high hopes that the next one in the series will improve on this. Obviously I have no real knowledge of publishing, but I would think the transition to another editor and style would take a little practice.

The House on Blackberry Hill will be out on April 29, 2014.